There has a been a group of three northern bottlenose whales in the Firth of Clyde since about mid August but they only get reported intermittently and have been pretty far ranging, initially reported for a few days from near Lochgilphead, then from Great Cumbrae island near Largs and finally a week or so ago from Arrochar. I drove through the first and the last of these places on my way to Mull of Kintyre last Sunday, and then passed through them again today on my way home. I did keep stopping at various places for a scan of the lochs hoping to spot them, but I always seemed to be a week or so behind the whales and had no great expectation of seeing them today.
However, I'd just gone about a mile past the turning for Garelochhead at the southern end of Loch Lomond when I got a
message that the whales were now in Gare Loch, just 10 miles from where I was.
At the next roundabout I made a U-turn and headed back. A great decision as it turned out, because the whales showed very well
swimming in amongst the boats and yachts.
